The Environment Agency failed to clearly explain its role

What happened

An Environment Agency officer went to Mr B's property to consider the incident. She gave Mr B and the farmer some advice. Mr B complained that the farmer had not complied and the Agency dealt with the complaint through various stages of its complaints process but did not uphold the complaint.

What we found

We found that the Agency had no duty to help Mr B with the incident and take action against the farmer. However, because it did not explain this to him at the time or at any point during the complaints correspondence, he did not understand and continued to believe that the Agency should have taken action. This caused him inconvenience and distress.

Putting it right

The Agency apologised to Mr B and paid him £100 because of the distress and inconvenience that its failure to properly explain its role caused. It also agreed to take action to make sure that, in future, both officers and complaint handlers clearly explain their role and responsibilities to customers.